The University of Pittsburgh is going to court in hopes of expediting its exit from the Big East.

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The school filed a complaint in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County on Friday claiming the Big East has waived its right to enforce a 27-month withdrawal notice and the Panthers should be allowed to move to the ACC without further penalty by the 2013-14 conference year.

The school and the Big East appeared to be making inroads for a resolution earlier this year, with then-commissioner John Marinatto hinting the conference was open to letting Pitt leave a year early.

Marinatto and Pitt athletic director Steve Pederson met recently to discuss the matter. School officials said subsequent attempts by the school to begin more detailed talks were unsuccessful, leading them to believe they would not occur.

Big East spokesman John Paquette called the legal maneuver "disappointing" and said the conference had reached out to Pitt.

Pitt spokesman E.J. Borghetti said the goal is to get a resolution through private negotiations but extensively laid out its argument in court papers.

The central issue is the way the Big East handled West Virginia's and TCU's departure.

West Virginia notified the Big East it was leaving for the Big 12 last October, then sued the conference to force the issue. The Big East countersued. A settlement was reached in which the school agreed to pay $20 million in return for setting aside the notification period laid out in the league's bylaws.

"By failing to require WVU to provide 27 months' notice of withdrawal, the Big East knowingly and intentionally waived any right to enforce a 27-month withdrawal period," Pitt wrote in court papers.

Pitt argues the loss of West Virginia and TCU from its 2012 football schedule caused the football program significant harm and cost the school nearly $600,000. The losses included $250,000 to buy out the contract of a 2012 opponent to get TCU on the schedule, then another $320,000 to find a replacement once TCU announced it was joining the Big 12 instead.